


A Gentle Heat

by bewaretheboojum



Series: Curryverse [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:55:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22261405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewaretheboojum/pseuds/bewaretheboojum
Summary: Tim and Kon have been working hard to train some new recruits. They have earned a little time for rest and relaxation.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Series: Curryverse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1530779
Comments: 19
Kudos: 116





	A Gentle Heat

**Author's Note:**

> Vellaphoria betaed this for me ages ago! Vell's a rockstar and I appreciate all the help!

“We’ll see you tomorrow!” one of the new recruits called to Kon as he and two other recruits all walked out of the training hall. Kon gave them a wave goodbye and walked over to where Tim was putting away the training weapons.

“How did it go with your guys?” Kon asked, taking the rest of the weapons from Tim’s hands and putting them back up on the shelf.

His hands now free, Tim rubbed at his shoulder, shaking his head tiredly. 

"They’re a handful," Tim said and Kon nodded grimly.

“Mine too. And not great at following orders. At least not yet.”

"I wonder when they'll learn to start listening to us..." Tim mused.

They had been working on combat training with the new recruits after their usual patrol. Tim and Kon had gotten three new recruits to their platoon that week. Two women and one man had transferred from the rank and file Guards into the Rangers and had been assigned to Tim and Kon’s platoon. 

Kon and Tim were working extra hours to bring the new recruits up to speed before another round of missions required Tim and Kon travel. Kon was going over weapons drills while Tim was helping them with some hand to hand work. While the three new recruits were talented and hard working, two of them weren’t taking direction well… 

Tim and Kon spent hours after each shift doing drills and teaching them how to use new weapons. The recruits had become accustomed during their time with the Guards to using specialized weapons and working only in areas in which they were comfortable. Learning new things was proving to be a struggle.

"Maybe you need to kick their asses a few mores times," Kon said. “Trial by fire?”

Tim looked up at him with a wince, his face looking paler than usual and a tight tension hovered around the corners of his eyes.

"I'd rather avoid potentially taking a beating, just to prove a point," Tim said, rubbing at his shoulder.

"Did they hurt you?" Kon asked, frowning down at Tim.

"My shoulder hasn't totally recovered yet and one of the recruits torqued it in a weird way when he was trying to take me down."

"Does it hurt badly?" Kon asked.

"I mean it doesn't feel great..."

"Yeah, I'm calling it,” Kon said with a sigh. “We're done with everything for the day."

“I strongly agree. We’ve been here since dawn and I want my dinner," Tim said, walking over to gather his things. “And a drink.”

Kon followed suit, eyeing Tim carefully for signs of pain.

"Are you going to the Blue Bird for dinner?" Kon asked as he and Tim shrugged into their coats.

"Yeah, Damian's there and he has Duck, so I'll probably grab some dinner, have a soak and re-appropriate my dragon."

"Mind if I join you? I have a few things I want to ask Duck."

Tim smiled up at Kon and nodded.

"What exactly did you want to ask him?"

"After the last time I ate with the two of you, there were tiny little burn holes on the elbow of my coat. The elbow where Duck decided to tuck his face into when he took a nap on my arm. I was wondering if he knew anything about that..."

"Duck can be very circumspect, but you can try interrogating him."

They chatted about the new recruits as they walked to the Inn. When they got there, they found Damian and Duck were sitting with Cass and Steph at their usual table. Kon and Tim slid into the booth next to them.

Kon waved hello to everyone as Duck kicked up into the air to fly around Tim and Kon’s heads in happy circles, puffing out little clouds of smoke as he chirruped hello at them. Cass ignored Kon in favor of moving over to press a kiss to Tim's cheek. Steph called out a friendly greeting to them as she ducked Duck and Damian glared at them both.

"You again." Damian said, his voice was more of a flat statement than it was a question.

"You really work directly with the public for Wayne? Interacting with people and everything?" Kon asked him, reaching for a muffin that was in a basket in the center of the table.

"I'm charming." Damian bit out acidly.

"Really?" Kon asked conversationally, lifting an eyebrow at the smaller man. 

Duck landed on Kon's shoulder and nuzzled him with a warm, smoky nose, tickling him with the tendrily whiskers at the corners of his mouth.

"Of course he is," Tim said, smiling at his brother. "Just ask the Ombudsman in the South East sector of the city."

"Wait, isn't that the same Ombudsman who banned Damian from his neighborhood?" Steph asked, innocently.

Damian threw a glare at all of them. Then he said a polite goodbye to Duck, who ignored Damian in favor of nuzzing at Kon's scarf. Then Damian turned on his heel and stalked off back to Wanye Castle.

"Ohhhh the little demon left?" Harper asked, walking out of the kitchen with two plates in hand.

"Kon hurt his feelings," Steph sing songed and winked at Kon.

"Was that me, or was that you two?"

"I'm pretty sure it was you," Tim agreed with Steph and she reached across the table to give him a fist bump.

"I'm guessing you two are hungry," Harper said, sliding to plates in front of Kon and Tim.

They were filled with a thick, fragrant stew. A plate of corn muffins followed, pats of butter melting across the top.

"Ohhhh, this looks amazing," Kon groaned, picking up a spoon and digging in.

When Harper came over to give Tim a kiss on the cheek, Tim pretended to try and get away, but ultimately Cass grinned as she held him still and Harper pressed a kiss on his forehead.

"Yeah," Harper said pointedly after the kiss. "Don't you forget it."

"Don't forget that you're aggressively affectionate?" Tim pressed, reaching for his spoon. "How could I ever?"

Cass was eyeing Tim as he spooned up a mouthful of dinner. Then she poked at his shoulder.

Tim nodded to her as he chewed and after he swallowed he explained.

"A new recruit got a little rough today during training," Tim explained, then at another bite. “It’s just some bruises and maybe a muscle strain.”

Steph frowned and snitched a bite of Tim's corn muffin.

"Need me to have a talk with him?" she asked ominously.

Tim shook his head in response.

"Nah, he's just over-eager and not very good. He needs to learn to slow down a bit."

Cass was still glowering and rubbing her hand comfortingly over Tim's shoulder.

"He's fine, Cass," Harper said. "He just needs a soak for his poor muscles."

"That would be amazing," Tim said, almost with a groan.

"I'll go kick out the plebs and grab you some towels," Harper said, then eyed Kon. "You taking a dip too?"

"Uhhh," Kon hesitated and eyed Tim, trying to read his face before he answered. Tim was too absorbed in a soft conversation he was having with Cass so Kon couldn't tell how he would react.

But... fortune favors the bold...

"Yeah, I'd have a dip," Kon said. "Been a long day."

"Beer too?"

"Absolutely," Tim answered for them both looking back up at Harper.

Harper laughed and then went off to clear out the hot springs.

They finished off their dinner while Steph told Tim and Kon about the new recruits on her and Cass' platoon. It sounded like they weren't much better off than Kon and Tim were. They had two magic users who weren't great at controlling their powers under pressure. Apparently Cass had to knock Steph out of the way when one of the magic users almost hit Steph with some sparks during a sparring session.

"I almost got toasted!" Steph said, indignantly. “What would have happened if my hair caught on fire!?”

Cass huffed in angry agreement and glowered down at the table until pressed a comforting hand to hers.

From his spot on Kon's shoulder Duck let out a soft sort of concerned coo and Steph reached out a finger to rub reassuringly at the scales just under his jaw. 

"Duck would never toast me, would you buddy?" Steph said.

"Not unless you were disguised as my favorite sweater," Kon said, eyeing Duck with mock disapproval. Duck let out a soft chirrup and nudged Kon's jaw with his nose, almost apologetically.

"Duck was just trying to make sure you didn't forget about him when you left, right, buddy?" Tim said. The minute Tim turned his attention to the tiny green dragon, it was as if Kon wasn't in the room anymore. He kicked off Kon's shoulder and flew over to wrap around Tim's neck and shoulder, the end of his tail curling around the shell of Tim’s ear.

Tim was giving Duck soft little compliments as he rubbed at the scales all down his back when Harper got back, a beer in each hand.

"You boys are all set," Harper said, sliding them their beers. “Towels are on the porch.”

"Thanks, Harp," Tim said, getting to his feet.

"Yeah, you just make sure you come see me if the hot water doesn't help. I have some willow bark tea Leslie gave me that should help," she said, eyeing Tim severely.

Tim promised that he would and started off towards the door leading out to the fenced in area along one side of the Inn where the hot springs were located.

Kon had only used the hot springs at the Blue Bird twice before and that had been with a large group. The place had been bustling and noisy. Kon had barely any room in the bath and it was impossible to relax over the noise and chatter of conversation. 

It was so different now that the area was empty. The night air outside was swirling mix of hot and cold as a chill evening wind twisted through the thick billowing steam that came up off the water. 

The area was dimly lit with paper lanterns and incense was burning in a small pot on a table tucked into the outer wall of the Inn. There were benches lining the walls and outer fences and towels hung from pegs. A large deep pool was set into the ground and the warm water caused a heavy steam to waft up into the cool night air.

Thick, rounded rocks lined the outside of the hot spring and low stone benches were sunk into the pool for seating.

Rows of paper lights were strung above the pool, running from plinth to plinth on either side. They glowed almost eerily white, illuminating the steam that crept up around them.

Duck gave a happy chirp the minute he saw the pool and pushed up off of Tim's shoulder. He flew up high in the air, past the steam and the lights, so high Kon couldn’t see him in the darkness. Then, with a trilling, gleeful cry, he dropped down into a sharp dive, cutting smoothly into the water and using his wings to swim through the pool.

"Is he allowed in there?" Kon asked, eyeing Duck as he swam happily in the pool of water.

"Does Harper want him in there? Not really. Is anyone going to tell him he can't? Also, no." Tim answered with a shrug.

Kon huffed out a laugh and shook his head.

"Has anyone ever told you that you spoil that dragon?" Kon asked, conversationally.

"Ha! If you think Duck is spoiled, you should meet Goliath."

"Who's Goliath?"

"Ask Damian next time you see him," Tim said, pulling his sweater up over his head and then shucking his undershirt.

"I don't think Damian likes me, though..." Kon pointed out, pulling off his shirt and shivering as the cold hit his skin. He placed it folded onto the bench before he pulled off the rest of his clothes.

"Damian doesn't like anyone. I think he only tolerates me for access to Duck," Tim said, pulling off his pants.

The two of them moved to rinse off in the showers, sluicing the sweat and dirt from their skin.

Kon could see, now that Tim was undressed, that the skin on Tim's arm where one of the recruits had grabbed him was mottled red and purple. Kon fought back a wince and followed Tim toward the springs.

Tim called out to Duck as they slipped into the water. The hot spring was just on the perfect side of too hot. Kon skin prickled with the heat as he sunk into the water. The steam in the air around them was thick with minerals and healing salts. The string lights above them glinted and sparkled and aside from Ducks trilling calls, the area was peacefully silent.

"This... is amazing," Kon groaned, slipping to the water until it was up to his chin. The cold air gusting around them made the heat of the spring feel even better on Kon’s skin.

"Harper is a miracle worker," Tim agreed, taking a sip of his beer as he relaxed into the water. "Just don't ever tell her I said that."

Kon eyed Tim and smiled at him.

"Why do you two always pretend to fight?"

Tim started to shrug and then winced as the gesture pulled painfully at his shoulder.

"It's easier for us then saying we love each other," Tim said. "It's just how we communicate. The more we insist we don’t like each other, the more we know we need each other."

"The same with Damian?" Kon pressed.

"Damian is a little different," Tim said, but didn't elaborate, so Kon didn’t ask.

Duck perked his head up out of the water and swam happily between the two of them.

"Do all dragons like water as much as he does?" Kon asked.

"Mmmm," Tim hummed thoughtfully. "I don't think so. Most dragons prefer dust baths and arid climates. Duck's unique in a lot of ways."

"You said Jason got him for you?"

"Yes, for my birthday."

"Where did he get him? I haven't seen his species in the wild in this Territory."

"Neither have I."

"How did he get him?"

Tim lifted a hand and held it out to Duck. Duck swam over to Tim and let out a little puff, but this time it was steam rather than smoke.

"That's the thing about our family," Tim said, running a finger affectionately over Duck's head frill. "We don't care where anyone came from. We just care that they're here with us now."

Kon was silent for a long moment, watching Tim fussing affectionately over his tiny, spoiled dragon.

"Soooooo... smuggling? Probably?"

Tim huffed out a laugh and smiled at Kon.

“Probably," Tim agreed.

Duck swam over to Tim and climbed on to Tim's shoulder, wrapping the tiny, thin, prehensile tip of his tail around the shell of Tim's ear. Tim went to lift a hand to pet at Duck, but he winced and dropped the hand back into the water.

“They did a number on you,” Kon said, nodded to Tim’s arm and shoulder.

“I bruise easily,” Tim said wryly, glaring down at his arm. “Plus my shoulder’s been tender since that mage took a swipe at me awhile back.”

Kon was silent for a long moment, wondering if he should offer to help but…

Well… fortune favors the bold, right?

“Want me to save you from the bane of bitter willow bark?” Kon offered lamely.

“Save me?” Tim asked, looking up at him, his wet hair falling over his eyes.

“I mean, I can heal you. Again…”

“I don’t… I-- it’s not that bad…” Tim said, haltingly.

“That means it’ll be faster and easier to heal,” Kon explained. “Last time took a little more out of both of us than I would have liked. But this should be simple. Healing a few bruises and some strained muscles isn’t a stretch for me.”

“I don’t… I…” Tim hedged, unsure. 

He wasn’t looking at Kon, just rubbing a finger along the fin down Duck’s back.

“It really doesn’t hurt, Tim,” Kon said, softly. “It feels nice to heal people. Almost comforting. My magic likes to do things to help people. I like to do things to help people.”

Tim didn’t answer, just played with Duck’s whisker tendrils thoughtfully. Kon didn’t say anything for a few long minutes. He just let the heat of the water and thick scent of the steam wash over him while he thought about what to say.

“I just wish… I wish you would tell me what happened. To make you so afraid of magic. Then I can explain how my magic is different and how… How I only want to help you…”

The magic inside of Kon leapt and roiled at the sight of Tim’s injured arm, pressing at him to touch Tim, to heal him, to make him feel warm and whole again.

"I know you do..." Tim said and his voice was soft and low. Kon could hear Tim's breath, shallow and a little shaky as he spoke.

Tim went quiet next to him, the only sound in the hot spring was Duck happily splashing through the water next to them.

"Tim, I--" Kon started again, but wasn't sure how to finish. His magic was roiling up inside of him, he felt it pushing him toward Tim and Kon just... he couldn't resist.

Moving over on the smooth stone bench, Kon slid closer to Tim in the hot spring. Tim was very still, eyes fixed on the little waves Duck made as he swam through the hot water. Kon turned to face Tim, one arm out of the spring, resting on the edge of the pool.

"I hate knowing you're hurting," Kon said softly. "It's like, now that I know I can make all of that go away, I just can't bear the thought of you suffering with it silently."

In the dim light, Kon could see Tim swallow hard at that. As Kon watched, Tim closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"Ok," Tim said simply, his voice sounding light and breathless.

Kon felt his magic leap inside of him at that, pushing him forward and urging him on.

The water moved around them as Tim shifted so that he was sitting sideways on the bench, facing Kon. His mottled, thickly bruised arm looked even more dramatic in the dim light of the baths.

Lifting both his hands from the water, Kon held them just above the skin of Tim's shoulder.

"Ready?" Kon asked and willed his magic to quiet down. It was practically screaming at him, wanting so badly to flow from Kon's fingertips and into Tim's damaged muscles.

"Ready." Tim confirmed, and his face was tight with tension. He wasn't looking at Kon, his eyes were fixed on a point just over Kon's left shoulder. His mouth was pressed into a hard, thin line and his eyes were thick were worry.

"Remember," Kon said softly, willing the magic in his hands to flow lightly, gently into Tim. "Just relax. You'll feel better soon. I promise."

Tim swallowed hard and nodded his head and as the magic flowed into him, Kon could see the tension in his face slowly starting to melt away.

"You're feeling it?" Kon pressed, trying to keep his voice low and even. He didn't want to sound too excited for this.

"I--" Tim started and then broke off to nod. "Yes. I feel it."

"It feels ok?" Kon asked. "I'm not going too fast."

"No. No, not too fast. It feels..." Tim started and then broke off to shake his head.

"It feels what?"

"It feels like you're holding back... maybe... Like you're trying not to sneeze... or laugh... or something..."

Kon huffed out a laugh and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm trying to go slow. I don't want to startle you and I don't want it to feel weird. Especially since you don't have much experience with magic healing."

"Cass... Cass did it to me once. When we were younger. I was hurt pretty bad and she just--" Tim broke off and shook his head.

"Is that what happened? It hurt when she did it?"

"No," Tim said hesitantly. "I wasn't conscious for it. But afterwards... She didn't wake up... Not for days and days."

"She used too much of her own energy in her magic," Kon said, working hard to keep the flow of magic into Tim a slow and easy trickle. "That can happen sometimes."

"I was worried... I was worried she wouldn't wake up," Tim confessed and Kon could hear the tightness of his voice that was all about the tears he wasn't crying just then. "I was worried she would sleep forever."

"No, no," Kon said soothingly. "She just needed rest."

"That's what everyone kept saying. Harper, Steph, Dick, they all said she just needed rest. Time..."

"And see, she woke up," Kon said.

"It took days. She and I shared a room back then. When we were kids. We had bunk beds and I would sleep on the top and she would be on the bottom. Every night we would fall asleep to the sound of each other's breathing. I know what her breathing sounds like. Even know I could recognize her in a dark room just from that.

When she was asleep then, to rest up from using her magic on me, her breathing didn't sound the same. It was like someone or something else was breathing for her."

"That... must have been terrifying," Kon said. He paused what he was doing, letting the flow of magic trickle to a stop before lifting a hand to cup at Tim's jaw. He turned Tim to face him and Tim's sad, blue eyes looked haunted and uneasy. "I'm sure you were so afraid but Cass... Cass did what she wanted to do. What her magic wanted her to do. You're her little brother and she protected you. She healed you. She kept you safe. That's what she was meant to do. What her magic was meant to do. I'm sure if she had to do it all over again, she'd do the same thing."

Tim closed his eyes and swallowed hard, Kon could feel the tension in Tim's jaw as he fought for composure.

"That's the scariest part," Tim let out, and his voice was thick and tight as he spoke. "That she would do that for me, come so close to losing herself..."

"Hey," Kon said and Tim opened his eyes again. His dark lashes were wet, either from tears or the steam. "She knew what she was doing and you're both safe."

Kon leaned back and moved his hands to hover over Tim's wounded shoulder again.

"And I know what I'm doing. This? Here? This healing? It's nothing a couple of your sister's almond cakes won't fix," Kon said.

Tim smiled sadly at him and nodded his head.

"There is a lot of sugar in those..."

Kon went back to healing, his magic and energy flowing happily, excitedly into Tim, easing away the blood pooled under his skin and soothing his strained muscles.

"Is it feeling better?" Kon asked softly.

"Yes," Tim said. "It's less stiff and I can feel the swelling starting to go down..."

"Good," Kon said soothingly and focused on the flow of energy from himself, into Tim.

Duck had gone quiet as Kon had worked to heal Tim. He took this opportunity to swim over to Tim and climb up to the shoulder that Kon wasn't healing. His long, whip thin tail still trailed in the water. Duck lifted it to wrap, once again, around Kon's wrist. Then Duck curled half around Tim's neck and tucked his wings in, settling down to watch Kon work with thoughtful dark eyes.

"Does he always do this?" Kon asked Tim, feeling with his magic to see if there were any spots he had missed in Tim's shoulder and back.

"Do what?"

Kon lifted his wrist to show Tim Duck's firm hold on him.

"No... That one is new... He greets everyone and will even land on Damian's shoulder sometimes, but the wrist thing is new."

"What do you think it mean?"

"It either means the tip of his tail is cold and you have warm wrists..."

Kon huffed out a laugh at that smiling over at Duck.

"Or it means he likes you," Tim finished.

"I'm hoping it's that he likes me."

"I think it might just be both..." Tim mused.

Kon stopped the flow of magic from his hands and leaned back to take a look at Tim's shoulder. The bruising and swelling were all gone and Tim wasn't holding it as stiffly as he had been earlier.

"Feel good?" Kon asked.

Tim hummed thoughtfully and shrugged his shoulders around, testing the injured one for range of movement. Kon watched Tim's face carefully and he didn't see a wince, just Duck trilling at them both reproachfully when he was knocked slightly off balance by Tim's movements.

"I think so. It feels much better."

"Good," Kon said with a grin before reaching over for his glass of beer. "That's what I like to hear."

Kon and Tim both took long pulls on their beers before sinking deeper into the water of the hot spring. The quiet spread between the two of them as they relaxed into the water.

"Is it supposed to feel..." Tim started and then broke off.

"Feel what?" Kon asked.

"I feel less... tired... too," Tim said, haltingly.

"Oh, I'm not sure. I think maybe that's just a pain thing, you know? Like, being in pain wears you out and when it's suddenly gone..." Kon trailed off and lifted a hand out of the water to make a flying away gesture.

Unfortunately, that was the hand that Duck had his tail wrapped around and he let out a couple of scolding chirps at Kon before reproachfully pulling his tail back and wrapping the tip of it around the shell of Tim's ear.

"Does that tickle, ever?" Kon asked with a laugh, gesturing to Duck.

"I think I'm inured at this point..." Tim said. "He's been doing it for years."

Kon took another sip of his as he shook his head fondly.

"So your aunt," Tim said, closing his eyes and leaning back on the bench. "Do you visit her often?"

"Checking to see if you can get another sweater?" Kon teased.

"No!" Tim protested. "I just meant... I see my family almost every day. Hell, Cass sleeps over at my place more often than she stays here with Harper. I was just wondering how often you see yours."

"Hmmm, I think we're not as close as you guys are. But I go home at least once a month to check in with everyone," Kon said.

"And to pet the llamas?" Tim pressed with a smile.

"For llamas, my aunts pack is pretty well-behaved. But man are they smelly."

Tim laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, Jason had some one time and they were a handful. The only one who would help him with them was Damian and in the end, Bruce just burned most of Damian’s clothes because he couldn't get the stink out."

"Wow, drastic measures," Kon laughed. "But then we couldn't have Grand Wayne Castle sinking like llamas, right?"

"With Damian, it's impossible to avoid all animal smells, so the hard fast rule is really only about the strength of the smell at this point."

They drank their beer and exchanged stories about their families and their friends. Kon told Tim about the time he took Cassie and Bart home to meet his family and how the llamas had all hated Cassie and how Bart had slipped in llama scat and ended up with a badly twisted ankle.

"It took hours to heal because he just wouldn't sit still," Kon recalled with a laugh. "And no one would let him take a bath until he was healed in case he fell over in the tub and got even more hurt."

"Oh man, some introduction to the family!"

"Yes. Many lessons were learned that weekend that I will be sure to keep in mind when you meet my aunt."

"When I meet her?" Tim asked, going very still in the water next to Kon.

Kon realized then that he had made a misstep. All of this, everything with Tim, the talking, the joking, the working, the healing, it all felt so natural, so easy. It was like a tide was flowing over them both and washing them downstream to an inevitable closeness that just felt so present, so real, so there for Kon.

Tim made him feel at ease, Tim made him laugh, Tim made him want to be better. His magic sang out for Tim, his body was drawn to Tim's and it all felt so natural that...

That Kon hadn't considered that maybe Tim wasn't feeling it too. He hadn’t considered that maybe Tim didn't want this and that his hesitation over Kon healing him was just one part of a greater whole...

"It's just," Kon said, taking a sip of beer as his mind raced for a line that would cover up everything that he was feeling in that moment. "It's just that how else would you get another sweater or two? Duck seems awfully fond of them and I wouldn't want him to get cold in the winter."

The tension in Tim's face melted into a smile and he relaxed back onto the bench next to Kon.

"Yeah, good point. Or better yet, do you think your aunt could knit one in Duck's size?"

"Oh, I can almost guarantee it," Kon promised with a laugh, picturing Duck in a little blue sweater to match Tim’s.

Tim was smiling as he took another sip of beer and Kon tried swallow through the tightness in the back of his throat.

They talked lightly about the new recruits as they finished their beers. When Tim was feeling more limber, they climbed out of the hot springs, to the sounds of Duck's protestations. As they dried off. Tim soothed Duck with soft, comfortingly words as Kon rubbed down his surprisingly soft scales with a towel.

Tim's back was to Kon and Duck. Everything he said was just nonsense to calm down his agitated and spoiled dragon but his voice was soft and comforting and Kon couldn't help but melt into the flow of words. His magic danced inside him at the simple pleasure of Tim’s soft, soothing voice.

Tim toweled off and dressed as he spoke to Duck, he moved with a fluid grace that made Kon's breath catch a little in the back of his throat. Tim's skin was pale in the dim light of the baths. Light lines of scar tissue criss-crossed his back and legs and little veins trailed dark blue under the milky paleness of his skin. The sight of them made Kon's throat tightened even more.

No wonder he bruised so brightly and deeply...

Tim pulled on a clean pair of loose fitting pants and shrugged back into an undershirt and his sweater. He was just reaching for his socks when Kon finished drying a still slightly grumpy Duck and got to dressing himself.

By the time Kon was fully dressed, Tim had both his scarf and his sulking dragon wrapped around his neck.

"Ready?" Tim asked.

"Ready." Kon confirmed.

They climbed the stairs back up to the main dining area of the inn. Harper met them and took their beer glasses before ushering them both back to their table.

The crowd in the inn had mostly cleared out for the night. Cass was still sitting at the table. She was alone, nursing a mug of tea and watching the musician who was singing doleful folk music at the front of the inn.

"He any good?" Kon asked.

Cass grimaced in response and gave an almost ambiguous tilt to her head.

"Cass prefers music you can dance to," Tim clarified. "She's a great dancer."

"Really?" Kon asked, looking at her in surprise.

He didn't know much about Cass. Actually, he knew the least about her among all of Tim's siblings. He knew was an incredibly good Ranger, possibly the best there was in the Territory. He knew she could use magic but rarely did. Now Kon was wondering if that was because of what happened the time she healed Tim. He also knew that she didn't really talk.

Kon had never been clear on whether it was that she couldn't talk, or just that she didn't.

Either way, he heard enough about her reputation as a fighter not to want to ask her too many prying questions.

Given how formidable she was, Kon found the dancing a little incongruous.

Then again, Tim was an extremely talented Ranger and he was spending his free time trying to bribe his still sullen dragon into a better temper with a piece of apple. So maybe it wasn’t so far fetched. She was extremely graceful.

Cass reached over and held out a finger to Duck. Chirping at her thoughtfully, Duck blew an affectionate puff of smoke at her, but refused to come out of the refuge he had made for himself in the nest of Tim's scarf and sweater.

Harper came back and slid into the booth next to them.

"Feeling better?" she asked Tim, eyeing him thoughtfully. "You're looking better."

"Yup," Tim confirmed. "Much better."

"You staying here again tonight, or are you heading back to your place?"

"I'll head home," Tim said. "I have some chores to do around the house tomorrow."

"Are you going to the market at all?" Harper asked. "There are a few things that I need."

"Get me a list and I can help with it," Tim promised.

When Cass was done with her tea, she kissed her brother and her sister and gave them all an airy wave goodbye.

"She seems happy," Tim observed to Harper.

"She's glad your home. She was really worried when you two were gone. Steph had to talk her out of going out to look for the two of you at least a dozen times."

"I'm glad you talked her out of it. She wouldn't have been able to find us," Kon said.

Harper eyed Kon shrewdly and shook her head.

"If anyone could find you, it would be her," Harper said.

Tim hummed thoughtfully.

"She stayed at my place for the first two days I was home," Tim observed.

"LIke I said, she was worried."

"Here I thought she was just tired of dealing with all the people at the inn and wanted a break."

"Could have been some of that too..."

Tim pretended to try and push Harper away when she kissed him goodbye and he and Kon pulled on their coats and made their way out the door.

"I'm about half a mile from here," Tim said. "North on Triad street."

Kon lived in the same direction and they walked together in the chilly autumn night. The moon was full and hung heavy and low in the sky. It illuminated the streets almost as brightly than the afternoon sun had that day. It peeked in and out of passing clouds as they walked back towards their homes.

"I cannot wait to get into bed," Tim said with almost a groan. "I'm absolutely ready for more sleep."

Kon fought down a little shiver of pleasure as he remembered how it had felt to have Tim fall asleep next to him a few days earlier. Tim had been so relaxed, so warm, pressed against Kon’s side. His soft dark hair had tickled Kon’s neck and his slow, even breathing had lulled Kon into his own sleepy state.

"Same here," Kon agreed. "Where does Duck sleep? Does he have a little nest on a bookshelf or something."

"No, he sleeps in bed with me. It's cozier that way. Sometimes he gets cold at night. Duck and I like to keep lots of blankets on the bed," Tim explained and duck peeked his head out to briefly trill an agreement to Tim's statement. 

Kon huffed out a laugh at that.

"I can believe it."

They chatted easily as they made their way home, they came up to Tim's small brownstone row home almost too quickly for Kon. The house was neat and simple. A large fence protected it from the street and a row of small trees, leaves bright red from the fall, lined the front yard.

Duck trilled happily as he caught sight of his home. He peeked his head out of Tim’s sweater and let out a low, affectional coo, as if to say goodnight to Kon. Kon smiled and reached out a hand to rub at the soft scales at the top of Duck’s head.

“I guess this is you,” Kon said.

“Yup, this is us,” Tim confirmed, smiling at Duck. “I think Duck is telling me it’s absolutely time for bed.”

“He’s not wrong. See you tomorrow?”

“Bright and early.”

Kon huffed out a groan and shook his head.

“We’ll have them trained up soon,” Tim said softly. “Just give it a few more weeks.”

“I’m just… very much looking forward to not starting my day before dawn. Working so much is really starting to get to me. I need a break.”

“Getting tired of me?” Tim teased.

Kon could see the glint of Tim’s smile in the moonlight. Between his bright smile, his dark coat and the pale skin of his face, Tim looked ethereal, almost fey. It made Kon’s stomach drop out and his magic roil just under his skin.

“Never,” Kon answered softly, almost without thinking.

Tim’s looked toward his door then, smile melting away. 

“Goodnight, Kon,” Tim said quietly.

“Goodnight,” Kon replied.

Then Tim was gone, slipping back into his home, the sound of Duck’s soft trills following behind him.

Kon walked home, his stomach tight and his magic roiling, wishing he knew what Tim was thinking in that moment.

**Author's Note:**

> Took a few weeks off of writing when work got hectic. What better way to dive back in than with Duck swimming around like a goof.
> 
> Writing Duck continues to be way too much fun.
> 
> Continuing my ongoing list of self indulgence in this series:
> 
> \- Very warm baths  
> \- Tim being teased by his sister  
> \- Over protective Cass  
> \- Duck swimming  
> \- Really just Duck  
> \- Drinking beer while taking baths  
> \- Walking home in the moonlight


End file.
